Tax Fraud

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT TAX FRAUD - PAGE 2

MILAN (Reuters) - A Milan appeals court upheld a four-year sentence for tax fraud against former prime minister and centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday, adding to the complications facing Italy's fragile coalition government. In addition to the jail sentence for tax fraud in connection with the purchase of broadcasting rights by his television network Mediaset, the court's ruling would also bar Berlusconi from holding public office for five years. However, neither sentence will take effect unless confirmed in a final appeal before the court of cassation when the three-stroke appeals process allowed under Italian law has been exhausted.

Changes to the U.S. tax filing process may be needed to fight tax-refund fraud, the top U.S. tax collector told a congressional panel on Tuesday, a day after the federal tax filing deadline. In steps that could lead to slower processing of tax refunds, Internal Revenue Service Acting Commissioner Steven Miller said a delay in the start of the tax filing season could help fight refund fraud. So might getting taxpayer information more rapidly from employers, he told the tax-law writing Senate Finance Committee.

BARCELONA, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Barcelona have denied wrongdoing after local media said Spain's public prosecutor had asked for charges to be brought against the club for alleged tax fraud in last year's signing of Brazil forward Neymar. The prosecutor had written to the judge overseeing a probe into the deal, accusing Barca of drawing up "pretend contracts" and engaging in "financial engineering" to defraud the tax man of 9.1 million euros ($12.5 million), according to the reports which did not identify the source of their information.

MADRID (Reuters) - Princess Cristina, the younger daughter of Spain's King Juan Carlos, has been charged with tax fraud and money-laundering, piling further scandal on the once-beloved but increasingly unpopular royal family. Palma de Mallorca Examining Magistrate Jose Castro said in a 200-page ruling after a lengthy investigation that there was evidence that Cristina, 48, had committed crimes. He summoned her to appear in court on March 8, possibly paving the way for an unprecedented trial of a Spanish royal.

By David Cay Johnston April 6 (Reuters) - On March 28, the U.S. Justice Department sought to close a nationwide chain of income tax preparation shops it accuses of fraud. The action underscores the potential for abusive business practices that taxpayers face because Congress has failed to embrace technology that would eliminate most tax returns. The Justice Department wants a federal judge to shut down Instant Tax Service, whose sole owner is Fesum Ogbazion of Dayton, Ohio, saying he is responsible for "extensive and pervasive tax fraud.

Cook County Commissioner William Beavers, an old-school ward boss who often bragged about his political dominance with a barnyard reference to his virility, was indicted Thursday on charges he pocketed campaign funds and a county stipend without paying federal taxes. Beavers, 77, a former South Side alderman who never feared political repercussion in bluntly standing up for himself and his patronage operation while battling any challenge to his clout, denied the charges. He quickly claimed his prosecution was due to his refusal to be a "stool pigeon" in a broader federal investigation.

MILAN, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A Milan court on Friday rejected a request from Silvio Berlusconi's lawyers to suspend a tax fraud trial involving the purchase of broadcasting rights by his Mediaset media group until after the Feb. 24-25 election. The 76-year-old former prime minister is appealing against a previous court ruling over the case on Oct. 26, in which he was sentenced to four years in jail. Berlusconi's lawyers had argued that his position as leader of a coalition running in the election represented a legitimate impediment to his appearing in court.

MILAN (Reuters) - Eleven former Monte Paschi executives including the troubled bank's former chairman and director general have been investigated for tax fraud and may face trial, a judicial source said on Saturday. Former Chairman Giuseppe Mussari and ex-director general Antonio Vigni were this week notified by a Siena court that an investigation into tax fraud had been concluded and that they could be charged and brought to trial, the source said. The source added that prosecutor Antonino Nastasi would ask for the eleven to stand trial within a few weeks.

By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) - Despite efforts by federal officials to crack down on rampant identity theft linked to hundreds of millions of dollars of fraudulently claimed tax refunds, South Florida continues to lead the nation for these scams. In the latest case, Freddie Howard, 56, of Davie, pleaded guilty on Thursday to mail fraud charges after filing fraudulent tax refunds totaling $22 million using a stolen identity as well as willing recruits. He received a total of $4.5 million in payments before being caught and faces up to 22 years in prison.